Telecom Italia’s LTE tests enter second phase

Italy's incumbent operator tests LTE with leading vendors in Turin

Italy's incumbent operator, Telecom Italia, has entered the second phase of tests for its LTE network, with a series of integrated tests designed to give data transmission speeds of up to 140 Mbps.

Telecom Italia has received Ministry of Economic Development authorisation to use two 20 MHz blocks in the 2500-2690 MHz frequency band for the testing throughout 2010.

This latest trial, using pre-commercial equipment and coordinated with technology partners including Huawei, Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, and Nokia Siemens Networks, will involve a series of integrated tests on 17 new sites in Turin, home to Telecom Italia Group's TILab research centre.

The project is partly intended to verify the capabilities of LTE and examine the stability and interoperability of the entire communication chain between the partners' base radio stations and Telecom Italia's existing mobile network.

"We want TIM's mobile network to remain the best in terms of quality and performance. That is why we are continuing to invest in technology and services," said Oscar Cicchetti, director technology and operations, Telecom Italia.

"LTE represents a major step forward enabling us to provide 100 Mbit/s connections, but progresses in 3G technology will already allow us to offer our mobile Internet customers higher speeds over the coming months," he said.